Chapter 1 checklist
Comfort level: Lv 1–5 by chapter end. Temple is fine around Lv 3–4 if you bought gear.
- Name four Warriors; lock classes you can live with for the whole run
- Talk to King of Cornelia; accept the rescue quest
- Buy weapons/armor for everyone at Cornelia shops; buy Cure (and Fire if you have a Black Mage)
- Clear Temple of Fiends: all chests you can reach, defeat Garland, free Princess Sarah
- Return Sarah; receive the Lute (key item — required for the true ending path later)
- Cross the new bridge north; fight to the next region without drowning in goblin packs
- Mystic Key chests inside Temple of Fiends (need key from Ch.3)
- Chaos Shrine return (Ch.6)
Party creation — do not rush this screen
You pick four classes from six. There is no fifth recruit. Class Change later upgrades them; it does not swap jobs.
| Class | Becomes | Role in one line |
|---|---|---|
| Warrior | Knight | Best armor; White magic after upgrade |
| Thief | Ninja | Speed; Black magic after upgrade; good weapons |
| Monk | Master | Fists scale hard; bare-handed is the point |
| Red Mage | Red Wizard | Hybrid jack; caps before pure casters late |
| White Mage | White Wizard | Heals, buffs, Holy — the safety net |
| Black Mage | Black Wizard | Elemental nukes; Flare later; PR Intelligence works |
- Classic balanced: Warrior / Thief / White Mage / Black Mage
- Heavy physical: Warrior / Monk / Thief / White Mage
- Double mage: Warrior / Red Mage / White Mage / Black Mage
- Monks should stay bare-handed for peak damage; give them armor when it does not erase their edge.
If you are unsure, take Warrior + White Mage + Black Mage + (Thief or Monk). Every chapter boss below assumes you have at least one healer and one source of elemental magic by midgame.
Cornelia — full steps
- After the intro, you stand outside Cornelia. Enter the town.
- Talk to every NPC once. They push you toward the castle and mention Garland / the Temple to the northwest.
- Enter Cornelia Castle. Climb to the throne; speak to the King. Princess Sarah has been taken by Garland to the Temple of Fiends. Accept the quest.
- Optional: explore castle rooms for flavor NPCs. Early chests here are modest; grab anything sparkly.
- Return to town shops before the Temple.
Shops — buy order
- Weapons: Upgrade every fighter off starting sticks. Give the Warrior the best blade you can afford; Thief/Red Mage the next tier; Monk stays unarmed.
- Armor: Clothes → chain/leather as money allows. Prioritize the Warrior’s head/body; casters need enough defense not to die to two goblin hits.
- White magic: Buy Cure for White Mage (and Red Mage if present). Dia (Harm) is excellent vs undead later — buy when money allows.
- Black magic: Fire is the first elemental you want on Black/Red. Thunder/Blizzard can wait until Pravoka money.
- Items: 10+ Potions, a few Antidotes. Tent if sold (sleep outdoors to restore charges).
Money tip: Fight on the plains outside town until you can kit the party. Do not enter the Temple naked. Goblins and wolves outside are the training grounds.
Temple of Fiends (present) — full clear
Northwest of Cornelia on the overworld. This is the present-day temple — short, tutorial-scale. The true Chaos Shrine version returns in Chapter 6.
- Enter. Save at the door habit (PR autosave helps; still use tents wisely later).
- Explore every open room. Open all accessible chests — weapons, armor, gil, Restless / early loot varies by version but PR fills the map fairly.
- Note locked Mystic Key doors: leave them. You return after Chapter 3 with the key for the best early treasures (including paths people miss forever).
- Heal before the throne / altar chamber.
- Boss: Garland.
Boss: Garland
| Topic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Threat | Single-target physicals; can chunk undergeared Warriors |
| Plan | Attack with fighters every turn; Cure when anyone drops below ~40% HP |
| Magic | Fire if you have it; otherwise physical pressure wins |
| Deaths | If someone drops, revive with Phoenix Down / spell if available, or reset if wiped |
- After victory: free Princess Sarah.
- She gives you the Lute — keep it. You need it in the final dungeon to open the path to Chaos.
- Return to Cornelia Castle; throne scene rebuilds the world’s first gate: the northern bridge.
The bridge & road toward Matoya
- Restock Potions in Cornelia; rest at the inn if HP/charges are low.
- Cross the new bridge north of town.
- Overworld enemies step up slightly. Run from terrible RNG if your healer is dead — PR still allows fled battles.
- Head toward the coast / cave of the witch Matoya (northeast of the bridge path). You may not finish her full quest until you have the Crystal Eye from Astos later, but mapping the cave now is fine.
- When ready for the pirate town, continue to Pravoka on the eastern coast — that is Chapter 2.
Key items, secrets, shops this chapter
| Item / flag | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lute | Princess Sarah after Garland | Mandatory for finale; never sell (key item) |
| Bridge access | Story after rescue | Opens north continent approach |
| Temple chests (open) | Temple of Fiends present | Take all unlocked |
| Temple chests (locked) | Same, Mystic Key doors | Return Ch.3 |
| Cure / Fire spells | Cornelia magic shops | Foundation kit |
- No Fiend yet. Garland is a man, not an elemental Fiend — but he is the loop’s seed (see Ch.6 spoiler when ready).
- No ship / canoe / airship this chapter.
Chapter complete when…
- Garland is dead, Sarah is home, Lute is in inventory, bridge is up.
- Party has real weapons/armor and Cure online.
- You are ready to push east to Pravoka for the ship.
Continue: Chapter 2 — Witch, Pirates & Elves.